<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Comforting Presence by AlexTWDgf01</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29206158">Comforting Presence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexTWDgf01/pseuds/AlexTWDgf01'>AlexTWDgf01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hard Knock Life [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bullying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Platonic Relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:40:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>907</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29206158</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexTWDgf01/pseuds/AlexTWDgf01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Why can't people understand?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ford Pines &amp; Stan Pines</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hard Knock Life [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Comforting Presence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>WARNING: there will be some language in here, and someone calling the bros queer.</p><p>And as per usual, my works of the Stan twins are purely platonic. This is NOT stancest.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>School sucks, and Stan isn't the only one who thinks that anymore.</p><p>Ford does too.</p><p>Most of the kids at school picked on them, not just because of Ford's hands and smarts or Stan's ignorance, but too for their mother leaving them. They would laugh and say she probably left because she couldn't stand having a freak for a son. And that no one would ever love them if even their parents couldn't.</p><p>When they first said those things, Ford broke down into a full blown panic attack in health. The younger had tried to calm him while their classmates laughed and the teacher grumbled about how he didn't get paid enough to deal with this and called the office on the intercom. </p><p>Putting those negative thoughts into his head really took a toll on him. Ford had felt that their mother never tried to fight for them because she was ashamed to have a six fingered son. And if it wasn't for him, she would have at least taken Stan.</p><p>Stan had pulled him close and told him that wasn't true. Their mother loved them both the same, she just couldn't get custody of them because Dad wouldn't let her. And there was no way he'd go anywhere without Ford because they were the Kings of New Jersey and they stuck together.</p><p>Deep down though, Stan felt like their mother might not have loved them. Not because of his twin, but because of him somehow.</p><p>As of now, they tried to ignore their classmates hurtful jeers while trying to stay out of their own heads. It was made easier when the principal decided to put them both in the same classes together when Stanford started having panic attacks almost everyday and Stanley became more easily agitated, getting into fights almost every day.</p><p>The teachers knew their behavioral problems were due to abuse. Everyone knew. It didn't take long for gossip to spread around the small town of Glass Shard Beach. How neighbos could hear Mr. Pines yell at his sons drunkenly at night, followed by their screams and cries. How they would show up to school with new bruises and welps, and the younger wasn't even in wrestling anymore. But nobody ever cared enough to intervene. They just let it happen, more or less.</p><p>All they were willing to do was let them sit together in every class so the other doesn't act up or break down. Though, they would still give them odd looks because 'it's unnatural for siblings to be so close.' Well, screw them. </p><p>Now, fourteen years old, they sat silently as Ms. Patty taught Algebra. The six fingered boy took notes every now and then while Stan stared absent-mindedly at the board, only retaining half of what she was explaining about how to solve for x or something. He was thinking about working on the Stan O' War after school, hopeful to avoid going home until dinner and get closer to finishing up the old girl so they can sail away from this place.</p><p>He was startled out of his thoughts when something bounced off the back of his head. Turning sharply, he glared towards the back of the room, where one of Crampelter's goons sat smugly with a straw held between his fingers. Stan growled lowly in his throat, getting pissed. </p><p>Six fingers intertwined with the five on his left hand, jarring him out of his death glare match. He turned back around to meet Stanford's gaze, who shook his head. </p><p>"Just ignore him." he whispered, squeezing Stan's hand.</p><p>The younger huffed, squeezing back before looking at the board again, keeping their hands laced together at their sides. As the teacher droned on, Joshua shot a spitball into both twins' hair, snickering when they squeezed the other's hand tighter.</p><p>"Queers." Stan tensed and Ford drew his shoulders up to his ears.</p><p>Why couldn't people leave them alone? It was enough they had to put up with their father, but everyone making fun of them just because they seek comfort in each other. Because they were close. It was so stupid.</p><p>Stan didn't care what they said. He knew what his relationship with his twin was and he wasn't gonna let a bunch of jerks  embarrass them just because they think they're queer. (Because they weren't) Pulling his chair closer to the other's, he released their hands and wrapped an arm around Ford's shoulders.</p><p>He froze up at the unexpected side hug for a moment before almost instantly relaxing into it. Ford leaned slighly into Stan's side, giving him an appreciative smile at the comfort. They didn't know if it was a normal thing or just a twin thing, but when one of them was tense or stressed and the other hugged them, they felt at ease. Like all their worries just melt away with the simple comfort.</p><p>No amount of harsh words, odd looks, or persistent bullying bothered them when they were together. The harsh world around them would just become mute, drowned out by the other's presence. Its how they've managed to survive dealing with Pa. And it's how they manage the outside world to. They hoped that one day, they wouldn't have to.</p><p>That one day, they could escape this cruel town and it crueler people to find a place where they fit in. Where they belonged.</p><p>Until then, they had each other. And that's all they really needed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know it wasn't initially said in this fic, but Stan stopped trying to fight people bullying them because since he quit wrestling, he didn't learn as many tactics to deter their attacks or take them down more quickly. So tend to, he'd lose fights more often than his canon counterpart. And Ford grew afraid that he was going to get killed if he kept it up, so he begged Stan to just ignore them. That they would eventually lose interest in picking on them if they didn't indulge them.</p><p>And of course, it doesn't work as well as he'd hoped, but Stan doesn't wanna worry his twin so he only fights when Crampelter and his goons throw the first punch.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>